


Valentine Surprise

by AnnaTheHank



Series: A/C/G ot3 [26]
Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: M/M, Multi, Secret Letters, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, it's just soft Idk what to tell ya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22707622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaTheHank/pseuds/AnnaTheHank
Summary: Gabriel is spending his first Valentine's Day with Crowley and Aziraphale. And a secret history of gift giving comes to light
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley/Gabriel (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Gabriel (Good Omens)
Series: A/C/G ot3 [26]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1424962
Comments: 15
Kudos: 87





	Valentine Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> y'allllll these boys be SOFT  
> Thank you all so much for continuing to read, and hanging in there with me while I flit about in my seven hundred WIPs  
> There _might_ be a second chapter featuring desert, but for now we're leaving as is <3

Crowley took a deep breath, letting out a low groan as he exhaled. Aziraphale didn’t even move. Crowley shuffled closer to the back of the couch where Aziraphale was reading. He groaned again, laying himself over the back of the couch. Still nothing. Crowley opened his mouth and said, “Ahhhhhh,” as he flopped himself over the back of the couch, falling down into Aziraphale’s lap. 

Aziraphale blinked at him, huffed, and pulled the book out from under his body. Crowley rolled about until he was laying properly in Aziraphale's lap. Aziraphale said nothing and held his book off to the side as he continued to ignore Crowley.

“Angel,” Crowley said, exasperated. “ _Please_.”

“I am not going to help you, Crowley,” Aziraphale said. He did place his free hand on Crowley’s head, fingers playing with his hair. “I told you. It has to be something you come up with.”

Crowley scowled up at him. “Well at least tell me what you got him.”

Aziraphale’s eyes flickered slightly. “I don’t see how that’s going to help you any.”

Crowley opened his mouth, then laughed. He sat up, staring accusingly at Aziraphale. “You don’t have anything either, you hypocrite!”

Aziraphale pouted slightly. He placed a bookmark on the page and then closed the book, laying in on the table next to the couch. He sighed. “No. I’m afraid I don’t have anything yet.”

Crowley spun around so he could sit next to Aziraphale properly, laying his head on his shoulder. “Maybe we can just, combine forces and get him a joint gift, yeah?”

Aziraphale leaned his head on Crowley’s. “No. No it should be personal. I just...can’t think of anything.”

“That makes two of us.”

They sat there in silence for a moment, each thinking the situation over. Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day. They hadn’t really planned on doing anything special. But then Gabriel had announced that they _should_ do something. So they were doing dinner. And gifts. 

“What do you think he even wants?” Crowley asked. “I mean, he is just doing this to experience the ‘human concept that is Valentine’s Day’. Maybe we could just, I dunno, get him like a giant teddy bear and flowers or something.”

“I don’t think he would appreciate a giant bear,” Aziraphale said. “But...he might like flowers.”

Crowley popped up. “Flowers were my idea!” he cried. “I call it!”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. “Fine. You go and get him flowers then, hm? Maybe a nice arrangement using that whole flower language thing.”

Crowley hummed and already started forming the arrangement in his mind. He could put some myrtle in there, maybe amaryllis, some pink camellias perhaps...and definitely some Coreopsis. Yeah, that would be a nice little bundle. Gabriel was sure to appreciate that. 

“Thanks, Angel,” he said, smiling.

“You’re welcome.” Aziraphale was still frowning as he picked his book back up. Crowley pursed his lips. It was only fair he helped him back, right?

“C’mon,” he said, tugging on Aziraphale’s arm. “Let’s go shopping. I’ll help you pick something out.”

“Really?” Aziraphale asked, expression hopeful as he looked at him. 

Crowley melted into a smile and leaned forward to kiss Aziraphale’s forehead. “Of course.”

-

Crowley took Aziraphale to the mall. Generally, Aziraphale didn’t like malls. But they had agreed that the best luck they would have would be there. All different kinds of stores to look in for all different kinds of things. They just couldn’t think of what kinds of things to be looking for. 

“Let’s start with clothes,” Crowley suggested. He took Aziraphale’s hand as they entered the mall, one part to ward off anyone who would think that Aziraphale could possibly be single, and one part to make sure he didn’t get lost. “He seems to like them.”

Aziraphale nodded. “Oh yes. It’s one of the few things he does like about humans.”

“Eh. I think his horizons have grown recently.”

Aziraphale smiled and squeezed his hand. “Yes, dear. I think you’re right about that. I’m still not sure what he’ll want, however. He’s very difficult to shop for.”

Crowley agreed and pulled Aziraphale into the first store he saw selling suits. He kept a hold on Aziraphale’s hand as they moved around, looking at the different outfits. None of them seemed really up to snuff on quality, so they moved on. And on. And on. Until they had been in most of the clothing shops in the whole area. 

“I don’t think we’re going to find anything,” Aziraphale announced. He sighed. “Maybe I’ll just get him a card. A nice one. With a lovely little note.”

“Could write him a poem,” Crowley suggested. Aziraphale made a face. Crowley laughed. “Well, we’ve still got the whole rest of the mall, yeah? Check out a few more places, see if anything pings your interest.”

“It’s not my interest we’re trying to ping,” Aziraphale said. For surely they had already passed several stores with things he would have loved. “We’re trying to find something for Gabriel.”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll find something, angel, don’t worry.”

They wandered around a packed jewelry store, not quite finding something they thought would work with Gabriel’s sense of style. Crowley chased Aziraphale away from a bookshop. They made a quick look through a figurine store, in case there was something Gabriel would enjoy, which they didn’t find anything of. And they ended up back in the bookshop, Crowley entertaining himself by watching the faces Aziraphale made as he looked through the newer books. 

His eyebrows furrowed, his lips pursed, his nose wrinkled. Occasionally he smiled. Crowley found it absolutely adorable. Then Aziraphale gasped, and dragged Crowley to the other side of the store to a display of journals. 

“Looking to get some journaling done?” Crowley asked. He wrapped his arms around Aziraphale’s waist, resting his chin on Aziraphale’s shoulder. 

“Not for me,” Aziraphale said. He picked one up and studied the material of the cover. “It’s for Gabriel.”

“You’re getting him a journal?” Crowley asked. He wouldn’t have jumped to that as a first gift idea. Or a last one for that matter. 

“Oh, yes,” Aziraphale said. “I’ve been meaning to get him one for a while now, you see. I think it might really be good for him. And what a perfect opportunity.”

“So you’re going to try and get him to better his life under the pretense of a gift?” Crowley asked, just to be sure.

“Oh, my, yes,” Aziraphale said. He put that journal back and scanned over the others. “It’s worked on you before, after all.”

Crowley opened his mouth to say something, but he thought better of it. Best to just let it go. After all, he could think of a handful of gifts Aziraphale had given him that had actually been good for him as well. Tricky little bugger. 

“So which one are you going to get him then?” Crowley asked. He knew which one he would pick out. It was a pretty dark blue color with metallic star decorations. But this was Aziraphale’s gift to pick out. To make personal.

“I think this one,” Aziraphale said. He pulled down a nice leather journal in a dark tan color. Decorating the front cover was a sun, with wiggly little rays coming out from it. Aziraphale smiled at it. “What do you think?”

Crowley kissed Aziraphale’s cheek. “I think it’s perfect, Angel.”

Aziraphale held the journal to his chest, radiating joy. “Perfect! All that’s left is to pick up groceries for dinner and we’ll be ready!”

-

Crowley bounced on the balls of his feet, eyes squinted half-closed. Aziraphale tried to ignore him as he finished setting the table. He had gotten some new candles for the occasion, and a lovely red tablecloth. He busied himself with fixing it up to be perfect for Gabriel’s arrival.

“He’s late,” Crowley announced. He huffed and checked his watch again. 

Ten minutes ago the food had been ready. Now it sat on the table, miraculously still warm, waiting for their third party to arrive. 

“Honestly,” Crowley said, throwing his arms in the air. “He’s the one that made us do all this shit.” He gestured to the set up. “And he can’t even bother to show up!”

“He’s just running late, I’m sure,” Aziraphale said. “He would have called if he wasn’t going to come at all.”

“Yeah.” Crowley shoved his hands in in his pockets. “Unless...ya know. Unless something happened.”

“Don’t even suggest that, dear,” Aziraphale said. “He’s just running a little late.”

Not but a few seconds after Aziraphale said that, Gabriel appeared in the room with a crack of announcing thunder. He was slightly out of breath, his hair a little out of place. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know I’m late.”

“Perfectly alright, dear,” Aziraphale said, beaming at him. 

Crowley squinted at him, not quite as ready to be forgiving. But he saw the flush in Gabriel’s face, knowing he had really rushed over. So he decided to give him a little bit of mercy. “Better late than never,” he said. 

“This looks wonderful,” Gabriel said, studying the dinner. 

Aziraphale walked up to him and leaned into him for a hug. “Is it everything you had hoped?”

“More,” Gabriel assured him. 

“So let’s eat!” Crowley said. Only because he was eager to get to the presents. 

Gabriel nodded and they sat down to dinner. And Gabriel actually ate, without any pretenses or attempts to avoid it. He seemed really devoted to the whole shebang. He explained, between bites, that he was late because someone had messed up what should have been a very simple blessing in Russia and he had to go run over and fix it real quick. 

“Sounds exciting,” Aziraphale said, wiggling in his seat slightly. “Did you manage to get everything all fixed up?”

“Oh yes,” Gabriel said. Crowley paid little attention to the rest of the conversation. Aziraphale may be itching to get back into the fray of things (and living vicariously through Gabriel) but Crowley was thoroughly enjoying retirement. 

“Well, I’m very glad you were able to get everything straightened out,” Aziraphale said. He set his napkin down on the table, grabbing Crowley’s attention. “Room still for dessert, dear?”

Crowley chuckled. “Easy, Angel. Why don’t we do gifts first?”

Aziraphale frowned. “Really, Crowley. You’re so impatient.”

“Says the one chomping at the bit to get desert,” Crowley argued. Aziraphale looked away a bit sheepishly. 

“I think gifts first is an excellent idea,” Gabriel said. “It seems that is a natural flow of evenings. Humans need time to digest properly between servings.”

“You’re outnumbered, Angel,” Crowley said, pushing up from the table. “To the gifts!”

He triumphantly led them both back to the living room where his pot of flowers sat on the coffee table. He had too many flowers he wanted to add to fit in a simple bouquet, so he had opted for a giant pot full of them instead. He picked it up and spun around, presenting them to Gabriel. 

“Flowers,” Gabriel noted, taking the pot from Crowley’s hands. He underestimated the weight of it and had to adjust to keep from dropping it. “They’re lovely. Thank you.”

“They’re special too,” Crowley said. He opened his mouth but then snapped it shut, blushing a bit. He had nearly convinced himself that he would admit it, but he stopped. But Aziraphale and Gabriel were both looking at him expectantly. “They’ll really brighten up your office,” he offered. (The truth was, they were real flowers but ones that he had made sure would never wilt or loose vibrancy. Not as long as his love for Gabriel persisted. But don't tell them that).

Aziraphale looked skeptical, but Gabriel nodded and agreed that they would brighten up his office. They sat on the couch, Gabriel with the pot on his lap, Aziraphale and Crowley on either side of him. Aziraphale picked up the wrapped journal and passed it over. “I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” Gabriel said. He balanced the pot on his legs and carefully removed the colorful wrapping. 

“It’s a journal!” Aziraphale announced as Gabriel studied it. “I thought you might like to have a place to just, write down your thoughts. Whatever they may be.”

“It’s quite beautiful,” Gabriel said. He ran a finger over the design on the front. “It’ll look good next to the flowers.”

“And it’ll be good to use,” Aziraphale added. 

“Of course,” Gabriel said, unconvincingly. He leaned over and kissed Aziraphale, blocking any further discussion on the topic. “Thank you.”

“Hey,” Crowley said, crossing his arms. “Where’s my thank you kiss?”

Gabriel smiled and turned to him for just that. 

“Now I suppose it’s my turn,” Gabriel said. He reached into the pockets of his jacket and pulled out two boxes, one rectangular and one circular. He handed Crowley the circular one and passed the other to Aziraphale. 

“Open yours first,” Aziraphale said. He sat up straight and held onto Gabriel’s arm. He had a little smile on his face and his eyes were wide open, excited. Crowley raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s a bit of a joint gift. Now don’t get me wrong! It was all Gabriel’s idea. I just helped with a bit of it.”

“Oh sure,” Crowley said, popping the lid off the box. “You two can work together but I’m on my own.”

His fake upset fell away as he pulled out his gift. It was a little key chain, with a thin heart at the end. And engraved on each side of the heart was a design, each different. One was full of squiggly lines formed into a bit of a wave. The other was a series of sharp angels, made to look like the suggestion of a cube. They were symbols. Old symbols. Names from before language had existed. Angelic names. Names of the two beings sitting on the couch with him. Written in their own hands.

Crowley swallowed the lump in his throat, just daring his eyes to tear up. 

“I hope you like it,” Gabriel said. “You seem to enjoy being decorated and I figured this would add well to your-”

Crowley shut him up with a kiss. It was the only way he was going to make it another minute without getting all sappy. “It’s perfect,” he said. “Thank you.” He looked over at Aziraphale. “Thank you,” he repeated.

“You’re very welcome, dear,” Aziraphale said. 

“I’m glad you like it,” Gabriel added.

“Alright.” Crowley took a deep breath. “Aziraphale, your turn.”

Aziraphale kindly took mercy on him, opening the lid on his own box. He let out a happy, yet unsurprised sigh as he tipped the box over and slid the snuff box into his hand. It was a lovely one, with detailed carvings of feathers on the lid. Happy, because it was beautiful. Unsurprised, because every time Gabriel had gotten him a gift in the past 200 years or so (and Crowley had been thoroughly shocked at how many times Aziraphale said Gabriel gave him a present), it had been a snuff box. 

“It’s absolutely charming, dear, thank you.” He pressed a kiss to Gabriel’s cheek. “Keep this up and soon I’ll have the largest collection in the world.”

“Not so soon,” Gabriel said. “I’ve looked it up.”

Aziraphale chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to go put this with the others to keep it safe.”

Aziraphale got up, leaving Gabriel to Crowley’s, very touchy, devices. He studied the design of the box as he crept downstairs to put it away with the rest. It was very beautiful, but Aziraphale would be lying if he wasn’t a little disappointed with it. He didn’t need things to change now that they were married. But he had maybe hoped for it a little. 

Aziraphale placed the new box on the edge of the display, using both hands to open the glass covering. His elbow knocked against the box on the edge, sending it falling to the floor where it popped open.

“Oh, shoot,” he whispered. He bent down and picked up the box, looking it over for any damage. But it was the inside of the box that grabbed his attention. Rather, it was the piece of paper on the inside. 

Aziraphale pulled it out. It was written in Gabriel’s handwriting. A letter? No. A journal entry. A journal entry? That couldn't be right. From Gabriel?

_10.02  
Aziraphale and Crowley have agreed to let me come visit them on Valentine’s Day. More times than I can count I have watched the humans celebrate this occasion together, wishing to partake myself in some way. Most of the traditions seems superficial, but the meanings behind them are sincere and sweet.  
I have always felt a sort of appreciation for Valentine's work. And being able to celebrate a day in his honor with the two I love is special. I’m looking forward to spending the time with them. _

Aziraphale blinked at the paper. Had Gabriel actually written this? He didn’t think it was possible. With a dry mouth, Aziraphale picked up another snuff box. He held it with stiff muscles for a moment before taking a breath and peeking inside. As he had feared, there was another piece of paper.

_24.04_  
Aziraphale’s blessing in Ireland went perfectly. I had been worried, as it was something a little above his usual grade of work, but he has proved to be up to the task. He handled his job with all the grace and certainty befitting an angel.  
He did show a bit of pride in his report. But I suppose he should be allowed it. He has a lot to be proud of. 

Aziraphale’s hands shook, wrinkling the paper a bit. With a racing heart he opened every box, finding that each contained an entry from whatever secret journal Gabriel apparently had. He gathered them all and fell in his chair, scanning over years of hidden praise and adoration. 

And he didn’t stop until he heard Crowley’s feet rushing down the stair.

“You get lost or just found a good book?” he asked with a soft laugh. 

Aziraphale just stared at him with a slightly open mouth. He was still processing the discovery he had made. And looking at Crowley’s disheveled appearance (indicating _his_ impatience to get to dessert) only made the stalling process last longer in his brain.

“You okay?” Crowley asked. He leaned against the arm of the chair and glanced down at the papers. Aziraphale let him take them. He whistled out a low note as he read over the first few. “Wow.”

“All of them,” Aziraphale said, gesturing to the boxes. “Every single one. All these years.”

Crowley half-sat on the arm of the chair, looking out at the collection. “That is some dedication to a bit.”

“ _Crowley_ ,” Aziraphale hissed, finally able to think. “Do you think...he thinks…” Aziraphale didn’t want to even say it. He couldn’t imagine making such a grand effort only to assume that the other person had ignored them.

“I’m sure he would have figured it out,” Crowley said. “I mean, you’d have mentioned something if you knew.”

“I certainly would!” Aziraphale protested. And he wondered what would have happened if he did know. How would things have changed? Would he have been so willing to leave? “This is all a bit too much to take in.”

Crowley nodded and placed the notes on a table. “C’mon. Let’s go upstairs and get your mind off it, hm?”

Aziraphale thought that was a brilliant idea. But there was a wrench in their plan. And that wrench was Gabriel walking down the steps to check in on them. “Ah,” he said, stepping into the room. He had, probably, been as disheveled as Crowley had, but had the good sense of mind to fix himself up before walking around. “You finally found them.”

Aziraphale let out a sigh, relaxing a bit now that he knew Gabriel knew he didn’t know. “Why did you never say anything?” 

Gabriel looked down at the pile of papers, avoiding eye contact. “I didn’t think they were important enough to mention.” He shrugged. 

“Gabriel…” Aziraphale took a deep breath and stood up. He grabbed Gabriel’s hands and waited for him to look up. He didn’t even know what to say. He wanted to say that he thought it was a sweet gesture, that Gabriel was a fool for not bringing it up before, that Aziraphale was touched Gabriel had put such thought into this, and, most important, how ashamed he felt now that he knew Gabriel already was journaling. But he didn’t know how to say all that without rambling. So he just kissed him instead. “I expect many more of these in the future.”

Gabriel smiled at him. “We’ll get you to break that record, don’t worry.”

“Could give some to me too,” Crowley suggested. He had moved to the chair and was reading over more of the notes. “It’d help the number grow you know.”

“I’ll get right to work on it,” Gabriel said. 

“Well not _right_ away,” Crowley said with a smirk. “We still haven’t had dessert!”

“Dessert sounds perfect,” Aziraphale agreed.


End file.
